Aly Axelrod

Plant-Rich Nutrition Consultant

Aly Axelrod comes to Sozo Lifestyle Medicine to fulfill a dream of helping people achieve optimal health through proper nutrition. As our Plant-Rich Nutrition Consultant, Aly will work in sync with Dr. Young to educate on how to incorporate more plant-rich foods into your daily life, making it as fun, easy and adaptable as possible. With certifications as a Health and Wellness Consultant and Plant-Based Nutrition Specialist, Aly will “meet you where you are and take you where you want to go.”

Abdelhak Chegri

International Sports Science Certified, CPT

Abdelhak has been engaged in movement and physical exercise for as long as he can remember. As a young athlete, he ran track and practiced martial arts, which lead him to eventually become a member of the US national Karate team. Today, as a personal trainer, yoga instructor and running coach he uses his knowledge and experience in fitness and wellness to make a positive impact on the lives of others. And his message is very simple: Exercise and healthy eating are the best medicine!

In his training, he integrates his knowledge of body awareness and love of fitness to strengthen the mind, heart and body. Whether it be a group class or a one-on-one session, Abdelhak’s personal attention will guide you to achieve more than you ever thought possible.

Hannah Kokulis

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Hannah Kokulis moved to Arizona from Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend Grand Canyon University. She graduated from GCU in 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

Hannah grew up playing competitive sports. Throughout her life she has had a love for fitness and leading an active lifestyle. During high school and college, she struggled with various health problems. Along the way she lost her love for being active and started to develop unhealthy eating habits.

Hannah started her wellness journey after moving to Arizona. She developed a love for nutrition, eating foods she loves, being active, and finding balance in her life again. Hannah adopted a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle that has significantly improved her health. She previously suffered from cystic acne and frequent migraines, which have almost entirely resolved. Her love for teaching, holistic health and fitness motivated her to become a Certified Personal Trainer. She is excited to share her passion and encourage others to be the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves.

Annie Hanson

Annie Hanson

NSCA Certified Personal Trainer

Annie graduated from South Dakota State University with her Bachelors in Nursing in 2017. After years of enduring the Midwest winters, and wanting to be able to spend more days outside, she moved to Arizona in 2019 with her now husband and their dog, Daisy. Annie has been a registered nurse for over 5 years, accumulating experience in 3 different hospitals in both progressive cardiac care units and intensive care units, with a specialty in cardiovascular care. She now works in outpatient cardiology, both in prevention and health, and the management of chronic cardiovascular diseases.

Annie has been active most of her life, playing a variety of sports. Her passion for fitness and health, however, started in college when she was introduced to weight lifting. Working out quickly became part of her routine, as did choosing nutritious foods to better fuel her body. The positive changes she saw, both physical and mental, were more than enough to adopt this lifestyle permanently.

Her passion for preventative healthcare through lifestyle changes, and her desire to keep people out of the hospital is ultimately what pushed her to become a certified personal trainer. She wants to help her clients achieve the highest quality of life possible and to empower them to pursue their health. She has trained in almost every style of fitness and likes to take the best practices from each style of training and incorporate them into a well-rounded program.

In her free time Annie enjoys traveling, camping, hiking/running, playing pickleball and golf, and spending time with her husband and dog.

James Babana Pricing

Pricing: Evaluation$250

Treatment – $200

Packages: 10, 20, 30 – Depending on specific recommendations after evaluation.

James Babana, PT, DPT

Dr. Babana graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL earning a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy in 2018. Using a previous background in massage therapy and meditation, he is able to offer a unique approach to supporting positive lifestyle changes, improving mental & physical well-being, and promoting the best-self version in every client.

He has vast experience working with tough cases across the age spectrum, but has really honed his skill set in restoring neck and back pain. His particular focus has been helping people get back to fitness faster while recovering from painful disc herniation and nerve impingement. This is also true for those considering surgical interventions, as well as those who already completed their procedures. Dr. Babana emphasizes as a personal philosophy that it is best to modify an exercise program than completely delay it, helping to get his patients back in the game while maintaining fitness progress.

Dena De Piazza

Dena DePiazza is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and is certified as a Certified Pain Management Coach. She is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. She works with clients to help them create healthy lives in a way that is flexible, fun, and free of denial and unsustainable discipline. By working together, you can discover lifestyle choices that best support you. Dena helps you learn to make gradual, lifelong changes that will enable you to reach your current and future health goals.

Philip Saltzman

Phil and his love for junk food, yo-yo dieting and fad exercise workouts started 20 years ago and took him nowhere. He was frustrated with his weight and the frustration finally reached its limit after he had to purchase two airline seats because he was 320lbs and could not fit in a single seat. That moment was a defining moment in his life and the motivation he needed to know that it was time to study fitness and nutrition for himself and get healthy before it was too late.

He made lifelong changes and learned methods behind success. He focused on the inner workings of why and how things function with regards to exercise, the human body, and nutrition. Phil is excited to pass on his knowledge and experience to you to help you reach and maintain your fitness goals.

Gianna Gentile

Gianna was born and raised in Northern New Jersey, recently making the move to Arizona. She graduated from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

Gianna came from a roller coaster past of disordered eating and not being happy with her body. On her path she searched unsuccessfully for a “quick fix.” Over time she realized that she needed to invest in learning how to make sustainable lifestyle change. Through her journey, Gianna has become incredibly passionate about not only teaching others how to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but also making sure they understand how to continue this journey for the rest of their lives!

Gianna has worked coaching people in both a gym setting and virtually. She believes fitness and health are supposed to ADD to your life, not take away from it. She will teach you how to heal your gut while enjoying foods you love. Her hope is to help you see results and be confident in your own skin!

Nadia Munoz

Nadia Munoz, MS, NTP is a health coach who holds a B.S. in Social Psychology, M.S. in Leadership from Grand Canyon University and has various certifications for fitness and nutrition. She is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Precision Nutrition L1 Coach, USATriathlon L1 Coach, and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.

Nadia was born and raised in El Paso, TX and has lived in Scottsdale, AZ for 17 years. Her fitness journey started in 2009 when she started running. As much as she enjoyed working out, there were several components missing to achieve good health. Her nutrition was not in line with her goals and like a lot of endurance athletes, a poor diet was excused as long as she ran it off. After she completed her second Ironman in 2016, she experienced health issues, including severe adult cystic acne and weight gain that she could not get a handle of. Nadia wanted to avoid medication so she researched several nutritional protocols and decided to change her diet. Within a year, she noticed a significant change in her energy levels, she lost weight, her acne was gone and she was able to stop using her asthma inhaler. She realized that this was a result of changing her diet and recognized the healing power of food. This sent her on a trajectory of learning more about how food is medicine.

Nadia has spent the last 5 years researching and learning about the importance of nutrition and how food, movement and lifestyle can heal the body. Since the experience of her own health journey, she understands the frustration so many have about not knowing where to start with their health, feeding a family a tasty and nutritious meal, making time to cook, or making healthier choices while dining out.

Nadia enjoys providing the guidance and support people need to achieve good health and considers herself their biggest cheerleader when they decide to make their health a priority. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Nadia works with clients one on one to help them optimize their health through holistic health practices. She helps reduce the symptoms of chronic illness through nutrition and lifestyle practices, but is not limited to helping anyone who wants to learn how to make better choices. She teaches clients basic kitchen skills, how to read labels and will even do grocery tours. As a personal trainer, Nadia works with clients of all levels, ages and in various settings. She has taught group fitness classes and worked with clients one on one. She emphasizes the importance of staying injury free and building strength to move about their day without pain.

Nadia participates in endurance sports and has completed two Ironman triathlons, and several half Ironman distance races. She likes to hike, lift weights, read, ride her bike and listen to podcasts. She enjoys time with her family and dog and is always up for a spontaneous day trip.

Please email Nadia for pricing and to set up an appointment.

Jessica Wilson

Jessica Wilson is a transformational life coach who has dedicated her life to helping others. Jessica began her career as a coach far before she received her certification. She made it her mission to help people to feel better about themselves and their lives. Jessica’s mantra is to be the love she wants to see in the world. Jessica embraces a standard that encompasses guiding others to love themselves and find the courage to make the necessary changes to live their best life.

Jessica attended the Life Mastery Institute in April of 2014 where she completed a course of study and became certified as a Dreambuilder Coach. She has since successfully coached clientele across the globe as well as right here in Arizona.

Things that bring her joy are spending quality time with her husband and five children, four of whom are grown and one a sophomore in high school. Jessica is an avid reader and writer. She loves cooking, singing, dancing traveling and morning campfires. She’s a California native who moved to Arizona nine years ago to combine families with her husband of four years.

Her hope in her coaching career is to impact the lives of others by helping them to believe in themselves and their dreams so that they too can make this world a better place.

Lisa Schenk, LMSW

Lisa is a Licensed Master of Social Work who received her Bachelor’s Degree from Grand Canyon University and then obtained her Master’s Degree in Social Work from ASU.

Lisa has 15 years of experience working with diverse populations and believes strongly that each person is unique and valuable and deserves to know their worth. She provides compassionate counseling services for individuals, adolescents and couples using cognitive behavioral therapy models and focusing on the strengths of the individual. With her vast experience with trauma and bereavement, she provides a warm place to feel safe and take the steps towards the future.

The mind and body are very intertwined, and Lisa will provide support as the two are connected and healing begins. Lisa is privileged to walk alongside those who seek support and honors the trust that is built.

Anita Lindsey, LMSW

I am a licensed therapist who specializes in working with infants, toddlers, children, teens, and adults with attachment and trauma focus lenses. I have worked with clients and their families who have experienced a range of complex trauma, foster and adoption, grief and loss, and developmental disabilities. Additionally, I am skilled in working with individuals struggling with relational problems, self-esteem, identity, grief, stages of life, depression, and suicidal ideation. I believe in helping my clients become more self aware of their mind and body connections and inner child work. To heal, play, discover, accept, and forgive.

My passion started with children, believing in early interventions as preventative approaches to mental health. After working with all ages, I learned that my experiences with children are beneficial for any age in regards to Attachment Theory, processing trauma, and self identity (often affecting relationships, self esteem, and careers)

Crystal Geer

Crystal Geer is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who works with patients of all ages, specializing in the treatment of orthopedic conditions, sports injuries, and chronic pain. She strives to help her patients understand their pain, condition, or injury with the end-goal of empowering them to improve their overall health and get back to doing the things they love to do.

In the early stages of treatment, Dr. Geer focuses on the use of manual therapy, dry needling, and therapeutic exercise to restore and normalize movement. Then she progresses to training techniques that encompass integration of full body stabilization to help her patients learn the biomechanics of movement specific to their daily activities, sports, or hobbies.

In her free time, Dr. Geer loves spending time with her husband and two teenage children. They have an active lifestyle filled with sports and scouts, and they love getting outdoors for hiking, backpacking, and canoeing adventures whenever possible. Her favorite activities for regular exercise are tennis, CrossFit, Pilates, and Olympic Weightlifting.

Dr. Geer has always had a love of exercise, the study of human movement, and working with people. In her college studies, she earned degrees in Exercise Science and Kinesiology, which led to her working as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) for 11 years. She had the desire to delve deeper into understanding injury and chronic pain, which led to her complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona University in 2017. She’s been working as a Physical Therapist since then and continues to pursue continuing education in her field so that she can provide comprehensive, wholistic care for her patients.

Heather Hicks

Heather is an educator, trainer and coach at heart. She loves people and the outdoors (particularly hiking, biking, and kayaking) and always enjoys a good adventure. Heather grew up in the great Northwest, has travelled and worked abroad extensively and is now enjoying living in Arizona where the sun always shines.

Heather has been working with US and international non-profits for the past 35 years. In addition to her work with Sozo, Heather is the Associate Director for Venture 1:9 serving non-profits locally and globally. She earned a Master of Biblical Counseling and has done graduate work in non-profit leadership and organizational development. Heather has completed certifications in leadership coaching, member care, crisis response, psychological and spiritual first aid, grief, trauma and stress management.

A few decades ago 😊, she finished her bachelor’s degree with a focus on fitness and health and she still believes that a wholistic approach to health is a key foundation for a full-filling life. Because of this, she was immediately drawn to the lifestyle medicine approach and the dream of creating the supportive, informed and healthy community that the Youngs envision. She will be helping develop the Sozo community, and coordinate educational workshops.

Heather loves to partner with courageous people to help them fulfill their God-given callings, all for the glory of God!

Rhonda Zonoozi

Rhonda Zonoozi is an exercise physiologist and certified health and wellness coach. She currently works for Banner Thunderbird Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab focusing on providing excellent patient care in a safe environment. She is responsible for monitoring heart and lung patients, providing exercise prescriptions, and educating patients on healthy lifestyle changes.

In her varied career she has designed and promoted employee wellness programs, performed fitness testing and training in a physical therapy clinic, and taught community health education classes. As a certified health and wellness coach, Rhonda uses her coaching experience and positive attitude to encourage others to concentrate on changes they can make towards achieving optimal health and wellbeing. Rhonda is inspired by patients who overcome their challenges and are successful in meeting their goals. In her free time, she likes to hike, watch and play sports, read, and try new recipes.

Crystal Geer Pricing

Free Consultation Visit (30 min)

Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention Members

$135 Initial Evaluation (1 hour)

$110 Follow-up Visit (1 hour)

Healthy Lifestyle Maintenance Members and Non-Members

$160 Initial Evaluation (1 hour)

$135 Follow-up Visit (1 hour)

Maryrose Young, D.O.

Dr. Young is an Arizona native who grew up in Cave Creek and now lives in north Scottsdale with her husband, Jon, and four kids. She is a currently practicing, board-certified, Emergency Medicine physician working and is certified as a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She graduated medical school from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, AZ in 2006 and completed Emergency Medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center in 2009. She has been practicing for 15 years.

As an Emergency Medicine physician, Dr. Young sees patients at their most critical points, frequently on the worst day of their lives. Her job is to stabilize, rule out life-threatening conditions and treat any acute illnesses. Often what brings patients to the emergency department are things that could have been avoided with lifestyle changes. Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes are among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Through lifestyle changes, patients are able to significantly reduce their risk for all of these!

Dr. Young loves working in the emergency department but found herself wishing she had more time to spend with patients. When she sees patients in the ED, she can touch briefly on simple things they can do to take charge of their health, but her interactions are limited by time. She is excited to start Sozo Lifestyle Medicine so that she can change her pace, develop relationships with her patients and help support them as they take charge of their health. Through lifestyle interventions that reverse chronic disease as well as her skillset as an Emergency Medicine physician, she will do her best to help her patients stay healthy and out of the emergency department.

Her hope for Sozo is to create a place of community, health, service, life and joy.

Karissa Catlin

Karissa originally attended Westmont College in beautiful Santa Barbara, and began her B.S. in Psychology, then transferred to Montreat College, in the Appalachian hills of North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a B.S. in Music Therapy, and a double minor in Psychology and Music Business.

She obtained her M.A. in Clinical Counseling from Concordia University Irvine, through Dr. Townsend’s Institute for Leadership and Counseling. She also has training and experience in Equine Therapy, and is a Certified Equine-Assisted Practitioner through EAGALA. She is now pursuing her doctorate, and will be starting a Fellowship through Integrative Psychiatry Institute this year, in hopes to better serve those who suffer with chronic illness, auto-immune issues, and the gap between our physical and mental health that is often not adequately addressed, misdiagnosed, or overlooked entirely in traditional Western Medicine practices.

She has a therapy dog and faithful sidekick, named Miss Sparrow– she is 6lbs of pure Shih tzu love, and has the gift of instantaneously melting hearts. In her free time, she loves to paddle-board, dance, go on medical mission trips, hike in wide open spaces, and especially to write and create music that stirs wonder about life and love.

Karissa has a strong interest in functional medicine and the Neurosciences and how to better blend the two to bring lasting breakthroughs to the root of complex trauma and auto-immunity issues. To unlock the roots of trauma from the body, and reset neural pathways in the brain and belief systems, she often uses cutting-edge diagnostic brain and vocal DNA imaging, through Zyto technology, neuro-labs such as www.Genesight.com, or neurofeedback to help completely restore and rebalance total brain, body, emotional and spiritual health. Her passion is to see long-term and sustainable transformations as well as accelerated restoration, so that you can walk out the fullness of who you were created to be–and get back to living and loving life again.

Karissa Catlin Pricing

Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention Members

$130 initial visit
$115 subsequent 50 minute session

Healthy Lifestyle Maintenance Members and Non-Members

$155 initial visit
$140 subsequent 50 minute session

Nadia Munoz Pricing

YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS JOURNEY STARTS HERE

PERSONALIZED NUTRITION ASSESSMENT — 90 MIN 1:1 APPOINTMENT WITH ME & 3 MONTH COACHING INVESTMENT: $975 ($81 A WEEK) —

HELD VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON
*INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF YOUR BIO-INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. YOUR BASELINE. WHERE ARE WE STARTING FROM?
*WE DIVE DEEP INTO YOUR SYMPTOMS, LOOK AT YOUR CURRENT NUTRITION, TALK ABOUT YOUR HEALTH GOALS, SLEEP, STRESS, MOVEMENT, DIGESTION (YES, LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR POOP! IT’S IMPORTANT) AND HOW TO BEST SUPPORT YOUR BODY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES.
*ALL THESE FACTORS CONSIDERED, WE DETERMINE WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF YOUR SYMPTOMS AND THEN WE GET STARTED ON A 3 MONTH NUTRITIONAL THERAPY JOURNEY

WHAT’S INCLUDED?
INITIAL INTERVIEW FORM *
NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (320 SYMPTOM COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SURVEY) *
FOOD AND MOOD JOURNAL ASSESSMENT *
I DEEP-DIVE AND ANALYZE THE ABOVE INTAKE FORMS. THEN, WE HOP ON A VIDEO CALL TO DISCUSS HIGHEST PRIORITY AREAS OF FOCUS FOR YOU AND THE PLAN
I PROVIDE NUTRITIONAL AND LIFESTYLE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU CAN BEGIN IMPLEMENTING IMMEDIATELY

*COMPLETED BEFORE THE 90MIN INITIAL ASSESSMENT APPT TO GIVE ME TIME TO REVIEW BEFORE WE MEET

* 3 MONTHS OF 1:1 NUTRITIONAL THERAPY WITH ME!
* I TAKE WHAT WE UNCOVER IN THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND BUILD A NUTRITIONAL THERAPY PROTOCOL CUSTOM BUILT FOR YOU
*RATHER THAN MASK SYMPTOMS (THE BAND-AID APPROACH WE ALL DESPISE!), WE CONQUER THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHAT IS MAKING YOU FEEL UNWELL, SO YOU CAN FEEL YOUR BEST
*I PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM

WHAT’S INCLUDED?
NUTRITION RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUPPLEMENT PROTOCOL* BASED ON YOUR BODY’S SPECIFIC NEEDS FOLLOW-UP CALLS WITH ME EVERY 2-3 WEEKS TO CHECK- IN ON YOUR PROGRESS, ADDRESS ANY CONCERNS, TWEAK OUR APPROACH AS NEEDED, GEEK OUT ON NUTRITION, AND SO ON!
REASSESSMENTS EVERY 6 WEEKS. YOU’LL RETAKE THE NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE AND SUBMIT A NEW FOOD AND MOOD JOURNAL FOR ASSESSMENT. THIS ALLOWS US TO TWEAK YOUR PROTOCOL AS YOUR BODY GETS BACK IN BALANCE AND REPRIORITIZE OUR FOCUS AS WE GO
UNLIMITED EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH 48HR RESPONSE RATE (MON-FRI)
ACCESS TO BETTER PRACTICE PORTAL
I AM HERE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, SUPPORT, ENCOURAGEMENT AND GUIDANCE ALONG THE WAY!
* COST OF SUPPLEMENTS NOT INCLUDED IN PACKAGE PRICE

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Jon Young

Jon is the Co-Owner and Operations Manager at Sozo Lifestyle Medicine. In a less formal title, he is the Doer of Things. He is an Arizona native and grew up in the Phoenix area. Maryrose and Jon have three amazing boys and one incredible daughter. Both Maryrose and Jon have planted their roots in north Scottsdale where they plan to continue to raise their family. Prior to having children, Jon was an avid rock climber, hiker, and enthusiasts of everything outdoors. He has made it a point to expose his children to the same activities that he enjoyed before they were born and loves sharing adventures with them.

When Jon is not working at Sozo, he is a fire fighter/engineer/paramedic with a local fire department. His career as a fire fighter has been a perfect fit for his skills and passion. When not putting out fires, he is highly involved in the development and mentorship of newly hired firefighters and those wanting a career in the fire service. Prior to being a fire fighter, Jon was a competitive gymnastics coach in the Scottsdale area. He was involved in coaching and training high level gymnasts from ages 5-18 years old. He developed strength and conditioning programs and skill development drills and also trained and coached cheerleaders and other athletes in strength and conditioning to improve their athletic performance. Needless to say, Jon has always had a passion for coaching, mentoring and helping those around him. He is excited to help the Sozo community thrive in their health goals and celebrate their accomplishments.

Jon’s vision is to create an environment where the members can tell stories, plan outings together and create a community of friends and family while getting active, healthy and staying motivated.

Independent Contractor Collaboration

Room Rental Collaboration

Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based approach to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease by replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones. At Sozo Lifestyle Medicine, patients take ownership of their health and work to develop healthy habits as a central part of their daily lives. My goal is to build relationships with my patients in order to educate, equip, and empower them to take charge of their own health. I understand that medications are often necessary to help control disease, however, my ultimate goal is to help you change your life in such a way that we can reverse disease and minimize the need for medications. I am excited to develop a community of health-seekers to encourage each other and learn together.

If you are interested in or have questions about this approach to medical care and would like to hear more about being a part of our community let us know by filling out the form below!

Apply For Position

Our Awesome Team

Maryrose Young, DO, dipABLM

Co-Owner | Physician

Jon Young

Co-Owner | Operations Manager

The Sozo Team

Personal Trainers

Annie Hanson

NSCA Certified Personal Trainer

Hannah Kokulis

NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritional Coach

Abdelhak Chegri

International Sports Science Certified, CPT

Aly Axelrod

Plant-Rich Nutrition Consultant

The Sozo Collaborators

Crystal Geer

PT, DPT, CMPT, CSCS, CertDN

Physical Therapy

James Babana

PT, DPT

Physical Therapy

Lisa Schenk

Thrive Counseling | LMSW

The Sozo Educators

Rhonda Zonoozi

Exercise Physiologist Certified Health | Wellness Coach

Heather Hicks

Coach | Educator